Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

The introduction of the doctor-only cards has been received very well throughout the country. We will issue 200,000 of these cards to people who may have been reluctant to visit their doctor in the past because of the cost. We all realise the expense involved in visiting a doctor. While the new card will not cover the purchase of medication, in many cases, particularly when a parent takes a young child to the doctor, he or she often receives advice or reassurance and leaves happy without requiring any medication. At least people will have the comfort of having the card. Parents will be able to take their child to the doctor, take whatever advice is offered and if they need to be referred to somewhere else, they can do that. We are providing €60 million in 2005 for these medical cards. The qualifying criteria for the cards will be 25% above the normal income guidelines for the full medical card. We are expecting 200,000 people to take up the cards. We will review the matter in the event that the final number falls short of it and increase the guidelines to help 200,000 people qualify.

It would be unwise to legislate for the automatic cessation of these arrangements in five or six years as Senator Browne is proposing. We do not have a crystal ball and it is difficult for any of us to see how things will develop in the future. This is a very innovative initiative that deserves support and I the general public very much welcomes it. We have previously experienced a situation that Senator Glynn referred to where it was a case of "winner takes all", where people got nothing if they failed to qualify. Now 200,000 people who would not qualify for the full medical card will qualify for the doctor-visit card and I am sure it will make a big difference to their lives.